Greetings.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

If a person is knowingly in a state of mortal sin, and he puts off attending the Sacrament of Penance several weeks or months due to shame, would the person then be committing another mortal sin which must be mentioned?

Is the Sacrament of Penance invalid if a person either knowingly or unknowingly mentions a mortal sin or sins in kind only? It appears so many priests today are not interested in number. In the past, I have mentioned my mortal sins in kind only, and not frequency or number.

Have all my past confessions over many many years been invalid due to not mentioning my mortal sins by number?

Thank you.

Grave sins are to be confessed in kind and number. Venial sins can be confessed in number also, but this is not strictly required.

To confess in number, it just needs to be approximate if the number is large.

I think that delaying repentance due to shame might be a sin, but perhaps a venial sin. This more fittingly is answered by the moral theology forum.

If a priest doesn't want to listen to confessions correctly in kind and number, too bad for the priest. He cannot contradict the law.

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